Top 5: Getting in the winter spirit

One of the many reasons why I love Thanksgiving is that, in my mind, it’s really the start of winter coziness. Despite the fact that I’m always grumbling by February, I really do love this season.

From Vanishing Cultures: Far North

But we’ve had a weirdly warm fall thus far here in NYC, which has forced me to turn to books to get myself in the winter spirit. Here are my top 5 books that get me in the mood for the snow and slush ahead— and of course, all of them are best enjoyed in pajamas, with a warm cup of hot chocolate in hand:

1. Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories by Simon Van Buoy. Though not all of these stories take place in cold climates, there’s something about the gentle, patient storytelling that feels like watching snowflakes pile up from the comfort of a warm house.

2. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. Proulx’s depiction of winter on the coast of Newfoundland is unbearably cold and dark, but magical in a way that makes you want to see it for yourself.

3. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Everything that happens here is more dramatic because of the stark white landscapes of rural Sweden where it all takes place. Plus, once you read the first one you’ll be hooked, and mysteries are great winter reading!

4. On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World’s Deadliest Roads by Hugh Rowland. Okay, yes, I do on occasion watch Ice Road Truckers. I’ll admit it. But Hugh’s stories of wolverines and blizzards in the frozen tundra of Northern Canada and Alaska are jaw-droppingly crazy…and make anything above -60 degrees seem mild.

5. “Stopping By Woods on a Snowing Evening,” by Robert Frost. Not a book, I know, but the perfect poem to get you in the mood for the long, cold months ahead.

Looking for books for young readers to welcome winter? Here’s what I recommend:

Little Women, even though only the first few chapters are winter.
Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
Mama Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joosse
The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
The Polar Express
and I’ll second the Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe

Little Women, even though only the first few chapters are winter. Two Old Women by Velma Wallis Mama Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joosse The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig The Polar Express and I’ll second the Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe